


First steps on the road

by flightinflame



Category: The New Mutants (2020)
Genre: Aromantic Illyana, Canon Lesbian Relationship, Developing Friendships, F/F, Fluff and Angst, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Internalized Homophobia, M/M, Mix of comics and movie characters, Post-Canon, lockheed is a good dragon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-04
Updated: 2020-10-21
Packaged: 2021-03-07 19:34:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 10,433
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26812993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flightinflame/pseuds/flightinflame
Summary: Dr. Reyes is gone. The barriers are down. And the five of them set off in the hope of making a fresh start, together.
Relationships: Danielle Moonstar/Rahne Sinclair, Douglas Ramsey/Warlock (New Mutants), Illyana Rasputin & Sam Guthrie, Roberto da Costa/Illyana Rasputin, Roberto da Costa/Sam Guthrie
Comments: 35
Kudos: 190





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TriffidsandCuckoos](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TriffidsandCuckoos/gifts).



> Huge thank you to my beta, InsertSthMeaningful, for being wonderful.

Reyes was dead, and that meant the barrier was gone. There was nothing trapping them now, holding them prisoner. There was no food. They couldn't stay. Staying would mean just waiting for whoever had controlled Reyes - whoever had been experimenting on them, treating them like puppets... Illyana refused to be a puppet again. She wasn't going to let anyone control her, use her. Not again.

She could leave on her alone. She was able to survive. She didn't need anyone. But Lockheed thought that the rest wouldn't survive without her. After everything, she supposed she couldn't leave them to starve.

So she walked with the rest of them, making their way down the road and away from their private prison. Reyes had always said the nearest town was twenty miles away. Illyana would get there in a day or so, but with the others, it might be closer to two.

She'd live with them slowing her down.

Dani and Rahne were holding hands, which was sickening, but Illyana supposed she would tolerate it if it meant that Dani wasn't going to use her powers on the lot of them.

After they'd been walking for a little while, it was Sam who approached her, an awkward smile on his face.

"Yes?" she asked, turning towards him and twisting Lockheed so they could both see him.

"Uh... Illyana... I just... I wanted to apologise." Sam cleared his throat, glancing at Lockheed. "During the battle with the bear I saw..." He hesitated, and she smirked, amused by his attempt at kindness - she already had heard all of the things Reyes said about Lockheed. Nothing he said could have shocked her, not when she knew the truth. Still, it was entertaining to see him try. "I saw Lockheed...move. He flew."

"Yes?" She scowled at him. "He is a dragon. It is what they do."

Sam opened and closed his mouth, looking rather like a particularly stupid fish. She wondered if that had ended up in his notes. Before she could ask, he reached out, as though he was going to take Lockheed. She nearly stabbed him. But then he rested his finger on Lockheed's head, and rubbed gently behind an ear. "Thanks for helping us, Lockheed."

Illyana nodded. She half-expected Lockheed to be angry - he didn't like it when other people touched him, not when Reyes had tried to grab him away. But Lockheed didn't seem to mind if it was Sam. She guessed if Lockheed thought Sam was a friend, she could do the same. For now.

Roberto broke the silence, looking between them. "We're travelling for two days, right? So where are we going to sleep?"

Sam stared at him and shook his head slightly. "We can sleep on the ground. It doesn't look like it's going to rain."

Roberto's face scrunched up a little.

"We don't need to worry about being cold," Illyana pointed out. "You can make fire for us."

"I don't..." Roberto started, then sighed and nodded. "I suppose so."

"Thanks, man." Sam reached out and patted Roberto's arm, and Illyana rolled her eyes. It was going to be exhausting, surrounded by the four of them. 

"Are you sure we need to keep all of them alive?" she asked Lockheed curiously. He seemed to think they should stay alive. She didn't want to argue with him after he'd been so helpful with the bear, so while she manifested her sword, she just swung it at her side. She walked ahead of the rest, ready to fight to protect the others if anyone appeared. At that kind of distance, she could try and ignore the girls successfully flirting, and the boys doing so unsuccessfully. They were all ridiculous, but she supposed they were hers now. They needed someone to look after them. 

***

Rahne watched Illyana striding ahead, her hand tangled with Dani's. Her neck ached, even though she was trying to ignore it.

That brand was going to stay, she knew that. It burned, and for the rest of her life it would be there every time she looked in the mirror. But she'd survived the brand before. She'd survive this one, which was everything that last scar wasn't. 

"How are you feeling?" Dani asked, reaching over to take the bag. "You look like you're... thinking."

"I am," Rahne answered. "We won. All of us, and... I didn't think it was possible. But it was the five of us, against... I thought she'd killed you." Rahne's voice trembled a little. "When I saw you on that gurney... and I knew I'd let you go."

"That wasn't your fault, Rahne."

"I nearly lost you..." Rahne argued, squeezing Dani's hand tighter. "And I don't know where we go now."

"Together," Dani answered, her eyes shining with determination, and Rahne hid a smile, because Dani was beautiful like that. "We go together."

"Yeah," Rahne sighed. "But... we've not got any family - I mean, my dad's alive but-"

"We've got family," Dani promised. "They're around us. And they're frustrating and... ridiculous, and unhelpful. But they're ours." She smiled at her. "And you've got me."

"I just... I don't want to end up back in another one of those labs, you know?"

"You aren't going to." Dani smiled. "You've seen Illyana's sword. I'm pretty sure anyone who tries to kidnap us will regret it."

"Thanks." Rahne realised she trusted what Dani was saying. They were in a difficult situation, but they were free now. 

"What do you want to do?" Dani asked. "I mean, before the whole... mutant powers thing. What did you want to do?"

"I wanted to be loved," Rahne answered softly, shrugging her shoulders. "And I have that now, and no one will get to take that away. And I wanted to help people."

"You've already achieved all your life goals," Dani teased, but there was a smile on her face as she said it, and Rahne smiled back shyly. She supposed Dani was right. It was easy to see getting her powers as the ending. A sign that everything she'd had planned wasn't going to happen. But with Dani - it felt more like a beginning.

"My legs ache," Roberto muttered, sitting down dramatically. 

Illyana looked over and snorted. "You are lazy. It is not so far to walk."

"I've not left the grounds. I've done some weights but I've not wanted to go running around the outskirts of our prison, and there were no treadmills..." Roberto argued, and Illyana laughed.

"I found a skipping rope, practiced. And it isn't so far."

"I want to rest," Roberto groaned. "And I would like a hotel room, hopefully with a sauna. But since we don't have one of those, maybe we should rest here."

Sam looked around and shook his head. "It's no good. There's a better site that way - it's less visible from the road and it's more sheltered."

Roberto shrugged, but got up again.

"I suppose we should sleep in one place and the boys sleep in another?" Rahne hazarded, glancing between them.

"I am not sleeping with the two of you lovebirds," Illyana interrupted. "You will be kissing and cuddling all night and disturbing my sleep. And I need to be rested because if we get into any trouble, I will have to fight and protect you all."

"Fine," Dani muttered. "But we should probably stay close to each other."

"Fine by me," Illyana answered, portalling over to the other site.

Dani took a slow deep breath and smiled, serenely. Rahne wondered if Dani was plotting murder the way her expression seemed to imply. She would help. "Shall we go that way then?"

"Let's go," Dani agreed, heading over towards Illyana.

"I don't know why we follow her. Or if she disappears-"

"If she disappears, we wait for her to come back," Sam said firmly. "I don't care about what the rest of you do, but... I'll wait."

"Agreed," Dani sighed. "She's a problem, but we might as well keep track of her."

Rahne laughed, but Sam looked at her and shook his head. 

"She's hurting. She hasn't trusted anyone before, and she's trying to work out how to trust us. And she's not… she's not easy. But she needs us, and we need her. So if she disappears off, we wait."

Dani nodded, and Rahne frowned a little. It was hard to imagine Illyana being uncertain about anything - she'd always been the troublemaker, the unofficial leader until Dani appeared. But Sam seemed to get on with her, and... Well, Illyana had saved them from the bear. That meant something.

It didn't take long to get to the site Sam had picked out, and she got out a blanket, sitting on it with Dani beside her. She leaned across to rest her head on Dani's shoulder. 

"I didn't think I was going to get out of there. Not really."

"At one point, nor did I." Dani squeezed her hand. "Someone persuaded me it was worth trying. Turns out they knew what they were talking about."

"That's smart of them," Rahne answered. "I bet that's not the only smart thing they've done, I bet they've managed to find the most wonderful person to love-"

"Ugh." Illyana groaned, looking down at the two of them. "You're making Lockheed feel sick, stop it."

"I thought the two of you were sleeping with the boys," Dani shot back. 

"Fine. I sleep with Roberto and Lockheed sleeps with Sam."

Sam frowned a little, and Roberto yelped as Illyana sat down on his lap. Rahne decided she'd rather not look, focussing instead on cuddling up against her girlfriend.

That thought made her almost feel giddy. A girlfriend. Dani loved her, even after everything she had done, everything that she was - Dani saw her and she didn't hate her. 

Everything she had been told before, about how she was a monster, unlovable... it was disproved by the strength of care that radiated from Dani, that left her almost breathless.

***

Sam settled down under his own blanket, hearing Illyana muttering to Roberto. He didn't want to hear, or look, or know - he wasn't interested. Illyana was like a sister to him. Part of him wanted to look, but he ignored that. They were just flirting and making out, and he wasn't going to disturb them.

He yelped when Illyana threw Lockheed at him, the puppet lying on the blanket and gazing up at him with cold glass eyes. "What was that for?"

"Lockheed doesn't like this stuff." Illyana shrugged. "I thought you could look after him."

"Oh." Sam stared down at the puppet. "Thank you." He knew what he'd seen - what Lockheed could do. And he knew what he'd seen in the basement of that place - what had happened. Lockheed mattered. It - he - was the most important thing Illyana had, and to ask Sam to look after him, even in such a careless way, was a huge show of trust. He tucked the puppet against his chest with as much tenderness as he could, because he couldn't... he couldn't help that little girl he'd seen.

"No problem. Keep him out of trouble."

"Will do," Sam agreed, lying on the ground and trying to ignore the sounds of the others kissing, and the way it made his heart twist - he didn't care about the girls kissing, they deserved to be happy. But he didn't like the thought of Roberto kissing Illyana. Illyana deserved whoever she wanted, and Roberto was the most incredible, handsome guy he'd ever met - but...

He groaned, and pulled the blanket up over his head, wanting to be somewhere else.

Something moved at his chest.

He froze, staring down.

In the darkness under the blanket, a pair of glowing eyes stared up at him. 

One of the greatest achievements of Sam Guthrie's life was that at that moment, he didn't scream. He froze, eyes straining to see what was happening.

The dragon was curled up on his chest, each breath seeming to purr through him. With a trembling hand, he reached out to pat behind one scaly ear.

The dragon leaned into the touch with an excited chirrup, squeaking softly and contentedly, his tail snapping forwards to wrap around Sam's wrist.

Sam stayed almost perfectly still, breathtakingly aware of the fact that there was a living, breathing dragon curled up on his chest.

"Hey there, buddy..." he muttered, patting Lockheed, all other concerns fading away as he stared at this creature. "You know," he whispered to it, "you're a really good friend to Illyana. She loves you. But you don't... you don't gotta take care of her all on your own, not now." He smiled, and Lockheed chirruped in response. "Yeah, you do great," he mumbled, brushing his fingers over the scales, smiling when Lockheed nudged his hand.

"Hey." Illyana's hand on his shoulder through the blanket made him jump, and he peered out. "I am bored now," she explained. "He wants to cuddle, you can cuddle him."

"What?"

"I want Lockheed and my own bed. You go cuddle Roberto. Shoo." She aimed a kick at him, and he stumbled to his feet, his hands moving to cup Lockheed. Rather than scales, now he was holding cloth.

She looked at him as he handed Lockheed back, and then nodded. "Lockheed tells me what you say. He says that we can look after each other. But... we have energy spare to look after you as well."

"Thanks, 'llana." He made his way over to Roberto, who was lying there with a confused expression on his face. He looked exactly as ridiculous as he always did.

"Hey Sam. What are you doing there?"

"Illyana said she didn't want to cuddle, so she told me to do it instead." Sam answered with a shrug, moving to lay down next to him.

Roberto shrugged, and didn't object when Sam rested his head against his chest. It felt pretty damn comfortable to sleep like that, which... really wasn't nothing he wanted to give too much thought to right at that moment. Not ever neither, if he could help it.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Plans are made, friends are met, and fears are faced

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who haven't read the comics, [this panel](https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/lfZaiPLXkIWthVETElM1epsRgK4=/0x0:1730x1301/1200x0/filters:focal\(0x0:1730x1301\):no_upscale\(\)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21899042/RCO017_1600272904_1.jpg) shows Doug and Warlock, who show up later in the chapter.
> 
> Warnings in this chapter for minor internalised homophobia, and vague references to Illyana's past (nothing more graphic than the movie).

Sam woke up feeling pretty well rested, his head on Roberto's shoulders, one of Roberto's arms around him. He smiled to himself, thinking of how before Roberto had always kept a frantic distance between them, afraid of what would happen if they touched - they were free now.

He wondered if this meant Illy and Roberto were dating now. He guessed that could work out, even if it made him feel... kinda weird, like his insides were all scrunched up. He pushed that aside. He wanted his friends to be happy. He told himself it'd be good, that they deserved each other. He knew that was true, but there was still something gnawing away inside of him, something that he didn't understand. He groaned softly.

Roberto whined beneath him. "You're heavy, Kentucky," He muttered, and as Sam moved off he stretched his arms. Sam watched the way his muscles moved - he'd grown up around strong men, their bodies shaped by the gruelling work of the mines. But Roberto's body wasn't like that. If the bodies he were used to were lumps of clay or coal, shaped by the earth, then Roberto's was a marble sculpture. Sam tore his eyes away, to notice that Illy's bed was empty.

"What we doing for breakfast, guys?" he asked, looking over at the girls - who were both already dressed, and Rahne was actually plaiting Dani's hair. "And where's the others?"

"Illyana vanished off somewhere." Dani shrugged. "You sure we have to wait?"

"We wait," Sam said firmly. He was sure Dani was just joking, but he didn't like the idea of leaving. Not after all they'd been through together. Not after what he'd seen.

He was folding up his old shirt into his bag when he heard the air shift beside him, and looked up to find Illyana standing there, a bag in her hand. She handed him a candy bar. "Lockheed said you would be hungry."

"You find a shop?"

"There's a gas station not so far from here. I took some of the candy."

"What about the rest of us?" Roberto frowned. "I'm hungry too."

"You have what you need in the bag, remember. We gathered leftovers. I just wanted to get some candy for me, and Lockheed said Sam would like some."

Sam stared at the stolen candy bar, feeling through the packet how many chunks were left. He broke off one and gave it to Roberto, who devoured it, then offered it to the girls. Dani shook her head, but Rahne took one with a smile. There were two left, and he shoved those into the bag for later, in case he needed some food.

They walked on. He watched Illyana stride ahead, that sword of hers swinging by her side, and felt a sense of pride. Dani and Rahne were whispering to each other. It was Roberto who ended up walking with him.

"Where are we going?" Roberto asked.

"Nearest town."

"I mean... after that." Roberto sighed. "Like... we're... Her superiors, they're going to be looking for us. And five teenagers, one with a giant sword - people are going to notice."

"We'll find somewhere."

"I can try and contact my parents." Roberto tilted his head. "They always said there'd be money for me, no matter what, and they said the Hellfire Club could help us."

"That... does not sound like a good idea," Illyana called back. "No parents, no family. That is first place they look."

"You don't have any family," Roberto muttered, and was rewarded by Illyana vanishing again.

"Well fuck." Sam took a deep breath. "You girls want to go ahead to the gas station, see if she's there, and I'll wait here?"

"How are they going to tell us if she is?" Roberto pointed out. "I'm the only one with a phone."

"Why did she storm off again?" Dani asked, hurrying over.

"Roberto said she didn't have any family," Sam explained.

"She's got us." Rahne smiled slightly as she said it, and Sam nodded. 

"Yeah. She's got us." Before they could continue to debate their plans, Illyana returned, stepping towards them and blowing a bubble as she chewed on candy. 

"I wanted to get some gum." 

No one argued with that explanation for her absence, and she carried on leading. The question of where they could go, what they could do, weighed on their shoulders. Sam knew he was too dumb to help, but he wished he could give them a decent answer - they deserved that.

***

Roberto knew he was dumb. He was from a rich family, and that was more than enough to compensate for being stupid. But he was aware that he wasn't... he wasn't smart. Not like Dani, or even Sam. Even so, he was the one who came up with the solution of what to do next. He raised it as they began to see the distant shape of a gas station through the trees.

"Dani?"

"What is it, Berto?"

"You said that you saw... what you saw. With Reyes. Where they were going to take us. Not to cure us, but to..."

"To make us into weapons, yes," Illyana interrupted.

Roberto tried to ignore her, pushing on with what he needed to say.

"So they're kidnapping mutant children, right? Weaponising them? Shouldn't we... tell someone?"

"Trust me-" Illyana looked at him coldly, and he remembered those faceless monsters chasing him- "No one cares what happens to mutant children."

"Someone must." He sighed in frustration, and then felt a thought spark in his mind as he remembered all of them sitting around, talking about who Reyes's superiors might be. He raised his hand to his forehead, resting a finger against his temple like he'd seen the guy do on television. "Someone does. We go to the X-Men."

The others all reacted - and none of them overly helpfully.  
"The fuck?" was Sam's response, drowned out by "What?" from Dani, and Illyana just glaring and shaking her head. Rahne hesitated, and looked down at the floor. "They won't want to help us."

"They... they are us," Roberto argued, feeling himself warming to the idea. "They help mutants. It's what they're for. We go and we tell them what we know, and then they can get us fake IDs. Or at least access to one of my trust funds, and then I can buy all of us IDs, and we can get somewhere safe. But we go there."

"Lockheed says that it's a stupid idea," Illyana muttered, and Dani set her jaw, looking between them.

"Does anyone have a better one?"

It turned out Roberto'd had the best idea of the lot of them, and he felt pretty smug about that. He felt even smugger when Sam grinned at him.

"Alright," Dani agreed, taking charge. Roberto felt a slight brush of relief at the fact he wasn't going to be expected to deal with all of this - he would come up with the ideas, and make Sam grin, and then Dani could handle the difficult bit.

"Do we even know what state we're in?" Sam asked, and was met with silence.

"We can find out if we go to the gas station," Illyana pointed out. "But if you would rather just stand here and talk we can not know, I don't mind."

Roberto shot her a glare, but carried on to the gas station, because if nothing else he wanted to get a snack. "We'll have to get bus tickets."

"We don't have any money," Rahne pointed out, hunching her shoulders guiltily as she said it.

"Maybe Illyana could rob a bank?" Roberto suggested. Illyana shrugged at him, and he frowned. "And if not we can sell my watch." It was a Rolex, so it had to be worth five tickets to New York, no matter where they were. 

"Thanks." Sam's smile looked warm, and Roberto found himself smiling back, even if he had just offered to sell the most valuable thing he had. 

"For now, we just need to handle the gas station," Dani decided. 

"We found some money earlier," Illyana answered, using Lockheed to pull a twenty dollar bill from her pocket. "It was in a car and the driver had left it." 

"Great," Dani agreed. "We'll use that."

"All of us going in at once?" Sam hesitated. "If they're looking out for us, won't that be askin' for trouble?"

"Rahne should go, she looks like a little puppy dog," Illyana suggested, making Rahne glare. Roberto stepped back, letting the others argue among themselves - he didn't care who went, as long as he didn't have to go.

"Are you going to come?" Dani asked him.

"I don't think so." Roberto shook his head. 

"Why not? You think you're too good for it?" Illyana laughed, and he shook his head.

"It's full of gasoline, right? Big underground tanks of the stuff?" Roberto reminded her. "If I... if I get too hot, I could make the place go up like a bomb."

Sam shuddered and nodded. "Okay. Sure, we'll go. You stay here, Berto, we won't be too long. You need me to get you anything?"

"I'm fine." Roberto made his way over to a fallen tree, settling down on the trunk. "I'll wait here."

"Don't get lost," Illyana snorted. She walked off, portalling part of the way so that the others had to rush after her. Roberto sat down and waited.

***

Rahne hesitated, letting go of Dani's hand as they approached the gas station. It wasn't that she was scared of someone knowing she was with Dani, but she didn't want to get Dani in trouble. She knew only too well how sometimes, people could judge. She didn't think there was anything sinful in how she felt about Dani. She was sure that this was what God had meant for them, love and kindness and warmth to restore her faith after it had almost been taken from her. 

It wasn't God that scared her. It was humans. She tried to shrink into herself, sniffing the air for any sign of danger, looking around at the bored gas-station clerk and the couple of customers who were there, searching for anyone who meant her or her friends harm. No one looked like a threat, but she wasn't sure she could trust that.

Humans often didn't look like they meant harm, and yet many of them were monsters or sinners. They hid it in ways that mutants didn't, but they were just as harmful as anyone she knew. She kept her head down, fidgeting, and Dani smiled at her gently. 

"What is it?"

"I don't... I don't like to be around this many people." Rahne felt foolish, saying that out loud, admitting she was scared of people. But it was the truth. 

Dani's smile wasn't mocking or cold. It was full of understanding, of tenderness. "You can go back to Roberto or something, I'll get you something nice."

"Thanks," Rahne murmured, ducking back before Dani could try and kiss her, feeling herself flush. "I'll wait for you." With that, she slipped out of the shop. 

Being back in open air again immediately helped her to relax, feeling her lungs fill with fresh air. She smiled, allowing the tension to drain from her body.

They were free. There was no dome over her, no prison. Just the five of them, and the whole world, and it felt like flying. They had escaped. They had lived a little longer, and they were together now. 

She took a deep breath, and something about a scent caught her attention. It was a different smell from what she was used to - something almost, but not quite, human. She followed it out of curiosity, sure that it would be some time before the others had finished their shopping spree.

The scent led away from the gas station, towards a small wooded area, and she could see a young man there in a yellow jacket, his back to her. He was sat on the grass, a book open on his lap. She could see one of his arms looked strange - it glittered gold, set against blackness, and she wondered if this man could be a mutant.

Maybe he would know where they could get help. The thought of returning to the others triumphant swelled inside her, and she rushed forwards. The boy - and he was a boy, no older than her - looked at her curiously, and she almost shifted, holding herself back at the last second. 

That concentration made her trip, and she fell awkwardly, her arms windmilling. She landed, and there was an agonising pain in one arm, and she couldn't bring herself to look.

The boy crouched in front of her, his face pale and eyes wide with concern. "Hey... hey..." He frowned. "That looks broken... come on, can you stand up?" He tried to help her to her feet but she whimpered from the pain, and his frown deepened.

"Okay... my name's Doug, I've got some friends staying nearby, we can get you help, but... we need to get you there..."

"Dani..." Rahne whimpered again, and Doug looked at her in concern.

"You have friends at the gas station? I can go and get-"

"Don't leave me," Rahne pleaded, knowing she was being a coward, but her arm was hurting and she didn't want to be left alone.

"I can get my friend to carry you?" Doug offered. "His name's Warlock... he's..." He fidgeted with his metal arm.

"A mutant, like you, right?"

"Kind of..." Doug agreed, and his arm seemed to pour away, the black and gold giving way to pale skin as a figure formed - like a man, only taller, a mass of dark and golden wires.

"Hello, selfstrangerpatient. Self is Warlock, and selfsoulfriend is Doug. Can self lift stranger-patient?"

"Rahne," Rahne managed, and nodded. The mutant crouched down, his wired arms wrapping around her, and lifted her. The movement jolted a cry of pain from her.

"Self is sorry selfstrangerRahne," Warlock murmured, and there was a flash of blue light.

***

Illyana had made sure they'd got a range of snacks, because she refused to share. She was sipping an iced coffee when she heard the sound of Rahne's scream. She had told Lockheed she would keep them safe, and it felt like she had failed. She teleported towards the direction of Rahne's call. 

What she saw made her freeze, her blood running cold as sheer terror grasped her at the wrists, held her in place, made her want to scream. She kept breathing. Her first instinct was to run - to run to their special place, because the smiling men couldn't get her there, but the smiling man there already had Rahne. 

It's (his) arms were around her friend, its (his) skin ink black, its (his) mouth twisted in an awful grimace that only grew wider and wider as he (it) approached, as though he was going to devour her whole, and she wanted to scream, she wanted to run, but she knew by the time she ran, he would have torn Rahne apart. His clawed fingers were wrapped around Rahne's legs and shoulders, holding her against his chest, and Rahne wasn't even trying to fight.

Rahne was speaking, but she couldn't make out the words. They were devoured by his smile, and he was so happy, and she could feel Lockheed's terror alongside her own. Lockheed had been so brave against the bear, but the little dragon... they'd fought them once. But then... now he was taller. Strange, like a being from a nightmare, his face twisted by a smile. She knew she could get back to the others. But there wasn't time.

Dani was awake. This wasn't one of the nightmares made flesh, this was something else, something worse, and He took another step closer, His mouth widening more and she could see gold beneath the whiteness of His teeth, the sheer inhumanity of Him, and He was still smiling.

"Go," She screamed then, her strength failing her as He reached out towards her, sending Lockheed to get the others as she allowed her power to pulse through her, to form her sword. He was nearly on her, His hands reaching out as his body shifted to hold Rahne and she wanted to scream again and again until her lungs were empty and she could fall asleep but He was still there and she couldn't leave him with Rahne. When she slashed out with her sword it was more on instinct than with skill, and He dodged it easily, that smile still stretching His face apart. 

He seemed to curl around Rahne more, devouring her in a mess of inky blackness, and she lashed out again and again but he dodged each blow.

She was aware of another man running forwards, grabbing at her, and she sent him flying with an elbow to his face, the sickening crunch of his nose a momentary respite from her fear, but Rahne was gone now, swallowed up by the monster.

"Illy!" Sam called out, and then he was rushing to her, wrapping his arms around her, and she didn't understand, not Sam… Not Sam… And then Rahne was there, holding her hand, and Lockheed was chirruping at her face, and she fell to the floor, curling up into a little ball and resting her face on her knees and crying without shame, as her body slowly stopped shaking.

Sam's hand on her shoulder didn't make her jump, and he wrapped a blanket over her, and she wanted to run to their special place, but Lockheed had jumped across to Sam and was chirruping at him excitedly. She raised her head, rubbing at her tears with the back of her hand, and saw a blond man a short distance away, his nose dripping blood as Dani tried to treat him. 

"You're okay," Sam told her, his voice steady, his hand resting on her shoulder, firm and strong but not trapping her. "You're okay."

Illyana nodded, and pretended that was true.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much to everyone who has read and commented. This is such a small fandom, and knowing you're enjoying the fic means a lot.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thanks to InsertSthMeaningful for their help here.

Dani stared at the teenager who had his head tipped forward and was pinching the bridge of his nose as he attempted to make the blood stop. 

“Aren’t you meant to put your head back?”

“Putting it forwards helps keep the blood from going down your throat,” he muttered, pinching harder and reaching out with one hand to pat the quivering pile of wires which was staring out at the world with unnaturally gigantic eyes. 

“Why did strangerenemy try to kill strangerpatientRahne?” the wires asked, gazing around and nervously reaching out to wrap around the man’s legs, clearly half-trying to hide behind him. The man absent-mindedly stroked his fingers through the wires, making quiet shushing sounds, and Dani tried not to stare too hard. The mass of wires had definitely been person-shaped when they’d arrived, and then it had spat out Dani’s girlfriend (and that word made her feel warm inside) and now was attempting to hide behind his friend’s leg.

“She wasn’t trying to kill Rahne,” Dani answered, thinking of the sheer panic in Illyana’s expression, the way that Sam had been the only one able to grab her and calm her down.

“She was trying to kill us,” The man said softly, and the wires made a quiet whining noise.

“She thought you were trying to kidnap Rahne.” That much had been clear from what Illyana had muttered as Sam had tried to calm her. “Your… that… there were wires around her.”

“Warlock was trying to keep her safe from the sword - weren’t you?” the man asked as the wires tangled around his hand.

“Self tried.”

“You did good…” the man said softly, before looking up at Dani. “Sorry, I’d shake your hand but-” he tilted his head towards the wires. “Someone’s being clingy. This is Warlock, he’s a bit jumpy given your friend tried to murder him. And I’m Doug.”

“You’re mutants?” Dani asked, wondering what Doug’s ability was.

“We are. We’re working with the X-Men. I’d been brought along to help with some of the research - we’ve been tracking some strange readings, and I’m good with languages, so they asked me to come. Only they were going somewhere dangerous so they left me at the gas station where I was meant to be safe… and you saw how that worked out.”

Dani shrugged a little. “What kind of strange things?”

“A reservation torn apart in the middle of the night, and then reports of strange orange lights in the sky. It could be nothing, but… well, someone reported seeing monsters in the direction of the orange lights, and it felt like it was worth investigating. And now we’ve found you. And your friend’s a mutant, even if the rest of you aren’t - she made a sword from nothing.”

Dani didn’t answer, not wanting to discuss the nature of her mutation, especially not when apparently it was under investigation from the X-Men. She didn’t want her escape to have been for nothing.

They'd got away from Reyes. That had to mean something, be worth something. She couldn't be about to get sent back to another jail. Doug sent her a brilliant smile, as though he wasn't planning on her imprisonment. 

"Your friend," Doug said quietly, still patting the wires. "She seemed shaken. I'm okay. Go and check on her."

Dani wasn't sure that Illyana counted as her friend. Sometimes, they still hated each other - but right now Illyana needed someone, and she could do that at least, could provide her with comfort. She walked over, crouching down beside Rahne and frowning when she saw how her arm was bent, Rahne gasping a little from pain but trying to hide it. "You okay?"

"Arm's broken," Rahne managed after a moment. "But we're going to be alright. Illy made sure of that."

"I overreacted," the girl in question muttered. 

"You couldn't have known," Rahne answered, and Sam squeezed Illyana against him for a moment. Rahne turned to Dani. "What do we do now?"

"Sam, go and get Roberto." That was the most important thing in Dani's mind - the five of them sticking together. Once that was sorted, they could work on escape. But they wouldn't abandon Roberto any more than they'd abandon Illyana, or Rahne. They were all they'd got.

"But Illyana-"

"I'll be fine. You go, get Roberto. I have Lockheed here to look after me, do not need you." Illyana shot a glare up at Sam, and after a moment he nodded and stepped back, leaving her sitting with them.

"He is a mutant then?" she asked, glancing towards the pile of wires that was now entwined around Doug.

"Apparently," Dani answered. "Rahne, I'm worried about your arm."

"I'll be okay," Rahne lied, flinching as she shifted her weight. Rahne was not a very convincing liar at all when it came down to it, and Dani felt a layer of despair settle inside of her. Rahne needed medical attention, and since Roberto didn't yet have access to any of his trust funds, that was going to require asking the X-Men for help. 

Illyana looked like she was still unsettled, her gaze darting around and occasionally looking towards Doug and Warlock with an intensity that Dani found concerning. "You want me to talk to them?" Dani asked, and Illyana snorted and shook her head, tucking her face against Lockheed. 

"I don't need babysitting."

"I didn't think you did. You're just not on your own now. You don't have to fight these battles on your own."

Illyana snorted again, but then rubbed a fingertip behind Lockheed's ear. "Lockheed didn't like the way that thing walked closer smiling. So tell it not to do that."

"I'll talk to him," Dani agreed, before she got up and made her way over to where Doug and Warlock were sitting. Warlock appeared to be mostly-human shaped once more, although his hand and Doug's own seemed to be tangled together, thin tendrils of wire going up Doug's arm. 

At seeing Dani's approach, Warlock looked up, his face split in an unnaturally large smile that seemed to grow wider and wider by every passing moment. Dani had barely seen the monsters that Illyana's mind had caused, but she'd seen enough to work out why Warlock had unsettled her so much.

"Hello," Doug greeted her, gesturing for her to take a seat. "Everything alright?"

"Actually..." She hesitated then decided to be blunt. "I wanted to ask you two if Warlock could maybe... watch his smile around Illyana. It unsettles her. If he could just... not be quite so..." She glanced at him, to find his smile had been replaced by a question mark resting on his face. She took a deep breath and continued. "If he could just try, I think it's less likely she'll chase him with a sword, and that seems like a good plan for all of us."

"I'll make sure to tell him," Doug agreed. "He didn't mean... is everything alright?"

"Now it is," Dani answered, and hoped that was the truth. "I'm going to go and check on Rahne, but if you need anything, just let us know. Do you know if your friends will be long?"

"Not that long hopefully. I'll talk to them. I'm sure that they'll want to help some young mutants. It's what we're here for."

Dani's mind filled with Reyes's smile, her talk about baby rattlesnakes, about control, and then her strapping Dani down on the gurney and moving to kill her. She breathed through the panic, pretending that everything was fine. She felt sick, but she tried not to let that show. To let it show would only invite trouble.

***

Rahne's arm was hurting a lot, but with Sam gone to retrieve Roberto, and Dani talking to the guy Illyana had fought, she was the only one available to sit with Illyana, to help her calm down and to make sure she didn't start chasing anyone else with her sword. 

Rahne didn't mind doing that. Especially not when Illyana had been trying to protect her. That was something surprising - she was still trying to learn how Illyana showed concern. And being engulfed by a mutant made of wires was… a disconcerting experience, to say the least. 

Even knowing he had been acting to try and keep her safe wasn't very comforting when she remembered the darkness of it. But still, she had friends. Two people - one of whom had tried to fight her worst nightmare, and the other of whom had protected her from a stranger with a sword. That was all definitely positive. She looked over when Illyana stared, and she saw that Doug was walking over, the mutant made of wires seeming to slink along at his side, more sphere shaped than human. He rolled to a stop before them, and two large white eyes appeared, gazing out at the world cautiously.

He had no a mouth, which was a surprise given they had spoken earlier. Her surprise only increased a moment later when a vivid blue light ran across the circuits covering him, before fading from view.

He blinked, and then blinked again, and repeated the light display.

"She doesn't speak technarch," Doug said gently, patting his friend. The eyes blinked and then blinked again, and again - appearing and disappearing. Doug hid a laugh. "She doesn't speak morse code either."

The other mutant, Warlock, seemed to shrink slightly in disappointment at that, before he held up a patch of wiring, with the word 'SORRY' written in big golden letters.

"Why is it apologising?" Illyana asked, looking frankly quite unimpressed by the current turn of events. Doug took a deep breath, then answered, keeping one hand on the wires that made up Warlock.

"He didn't mean to frighten you."

"I was not frightened. I was angry," Illyana answered, and even if they all knew that was a lie, no one called her out on it. Instead, Warlock flashed his apology up again, before retreating behind Doug. 

"So what do you do?" Illyana asked. "I mean, obviously your friend is... weirder looking than Rahne."

"Hey," Rahne muttered, but there was no heat in it - she could tell that Illyana was still a little stressed, and if teasing her helped she wasn't going to insist she stopped. 

"I'm good with languages."

"That isn't a superpower. That's a skill. I'm magic, Rahne can turn into a puppy, Sam can fly and Roberto can burst into flames. Being good at languages is a hobby at best. And not even a very good one."

Doug replied, in something that Rahne assumed was Russian. She wasn't entirely sure - they'd never asked Illyana where she'd grown up, because she didn't talk about her past. 

Illyana snorted and replied in the same language, before Doug turned and waved at Sam and Roberto, calling out a greeting to Roberto in Portuguese.

"Hardly impressive," Illyana snorted, but her gaze had settled once more on Warlock, who was sending tendrils across the grass towards her. "Hey, Doug, control your pet."

"He's not my pet."

"Control your boyfriend then. Whatever." Illyana gazed up at the sky, actively trying to ignore the presence of the two of them. Rahne cleared her throat, feeling that it fell on her to be sociable and welcoming - she'd at least have more chance of that than Illyana. It wasn't exactly a challenge.

"So you're here investigating?"

"We saw some reports that made it sound like there were mutants around. So we wanted to investigate, especially when we found signs that someone else had taken them-"

"Who else?" Illyana interrupted. "If you are meant to be protecting mutants, why would you let other people take them? It is because you do not care at all."

"We care," Doug said firmly. "We are trying to get them home, but there are other interested parties. If we have proof of something happening we can tackle it, but often it's difficult to get that evidence, and until that happens we just... have to wait."

"And while you wait people are suffering," Illyana answered, and Doug fell silent. 

Rahne tried to smile at him, even if she felt nervous. "And if it is mutants that caused... what you're worried about, what would you do? What would happen to them?"

"We would help them. Offer them space at the school, show them how to control their powers if they wanted. If they posed a threat and wouldn't let us help that's different but... normally cases like this are just frightened new mutants, and we want to help them take the first steps on the road to being comfortable with who they are." 

"What if it isn't mutants?" Sam asked as he made his way over. "What if it's humans. What if they've hurt people."

"Then we'd deal with them," Doug said firmly. "We want to help. I should call the others, let them know you're here..."

Illyana shifted slightly, and Rahne shook her head before Illyana could go for her sword. Doug at least seemed to get the hint, managing a smile. "I'm sure it won't be that long until they've finished investigating, I don't mind waiting. I was just worried about Rahne's arm."

"I've had worse," Rahne reassured him - although the expression that crossed over Doug's face didn't look that reassured. If anything, he looked more upset than he had been before. 

Warlock wiggled closer to Rahne, words flashing across his wires. "Self can stay with selfstrangerfriendRahne."

"I'm your friend?" she asked.

"Self likes selfriendRahne."

"Thank you, Warlock," she mumbled, and then got to her feet. "Why don't we go and sit over there and talk?" she suggested, partially to get the strange mutant away from Illyana and partially because she needed the distraction herself.

Luckily, Warlock seemed eager to head away, leaving Roberto and Sam keeping an eye on Illyana and Doug.

***

Sam thought it was pretty obvious that Doug kept glancing over to Warlock where he was sat with Rahne. Well, sat probably wasn't the right word - the weirdo reminded Sam of nothing so much as a lump of tar, slowly stretching and oozing, more liquid than solid but sticking to what he came into contact with. 

Honestly, he gave Sam the creeps.

Doug, though, looked almost disappointed as he glanced over.

"What's wrong?" Sam asked him.

"Nothing, I just..." Doug shrugged his shoulders, then cleared his throat, looking almost embarrassed to answer. "He just seems rather taken with Rahne."

"Rahne's a lovely girl," Sam said. "She's smart, real smart, and sweet and kind. I wouldn't be surprised if he was, you know? But she's..." He hesitated, not wanting to risk getting Rahne in trouble, but knowing that the five of them could take Doug in a fight if he caused any trouble. "She's ... you know, her and Dani..."

Doug's expression remained annoyingly blank.

"They're dating," Sam provided. He'd been fearing anger while still hoping for understanding. What he got was a look of something approaching confusion, as though Doug had no idea why Sam was being careful about saying. Still, given the way he and the robot-guy couldn't keep their hands… or whatever the robot had… off each other, he supposed that was normal for him.

"I didn't think Warlock was... I mean, I don't care if he dates someone. I don't think. I mean, it's none of my business, I just... I don't know." Doug sighed to himself. "I'm just used to him really only wanting to talk to me. I'm glad he is making friends, I just...." 

"You're just jealous, right?" Sam said, suddenly understanding, with a knowing smirk on his face. "You sure you're not interested in him?"

Doug stared at him, seemingly shocked by the very question. Sam shot him a knowing glance, and he swallowed. "I mean, I'm not..."

"You keep looking at him and you're worried he's flirting with someone else, someone better than you. And you look at him and you think you couldn't ever deserve him, that he's perfect, that he's handsome and he could do way better than you. But it still stings when you see him happy because you know you couldn't do that."

Doug frowned at him. "I don't think Warlock's handsome. I mean, I guess he's cute?"

"He's a tangle of wires," Sam pointed out. "If you're finding him cute, you should talk to him." He wasn't sure where he'd got this new found confidence from. He supposed he could blame Dani and Rahne for that - they seemed happy.

Doug hesitated and glanced down, then seemed to gather himself. "So have you and your friend Roberto been together long?"

Sam stared at him, wrenching his eyes away from where Roberto was sitting with Illyana. "Together as in… couple? We're... we're not, he's just my friend is all…”

"A friend you happen to think is handsome?" Doug asked, and Sam almost wished the ground would swallow him whole, even with his claustrophobia, because it seemed a less horrifying option than being stuck in this conversation. He cleared his throat, taking a deep breath and trying to talk. 

"I mean, Roberto's just… handsome. You know? He looks like a statue or something. That's different from Warlock. And anyway, he and Illyana are having a thing."

"The girl with the sword? I see why you'd want to keep your distance," Doug joked, but Sam shot a glare at him.

"Illyana's an amazing person. She's just... she don't like strangers much."

Doug nodded and didn't mention it again, and they slipped into an uneasy silence. Sam felt anxious. There was something preying on his mind. He knew that Roberto had said they could use his money, but he'd seen pictures in a magazine once of the goddamn Xavier School. He knew when something was too nice for the likes of him.

"Your school. I killed... a lot of people."

"Intentionally?" Doug asked, and there was no judgement there, simply curiosity. Sam shook his head, and Doug reached out to pat his arm. "I'm sorry that happened to you. It happens to a lot of young mutants when they come into their powers, but it isn't intended. We help rehabilitate them."

"Am I going to jail?"

"No. You'll have to have counselling, and talk about what happened. Not because we blame you, but because in situations like this, you'll often blame yourself, and we need to show you that that isn't the case." Doug explained it so easily, as though he had a chance, and Sam snorted.

"I can't afford this school anyway." Because he couldn't ask Roberto to pay for him. Roberto would, but he didn't feel right asking, didn't feel right taking. Especially if Doug had a point about him liking him. He wasn't gonna be that kind of guy.

"We don't charge students who need our help," Doug reassured him. "Places are given on the basis of need, nothing more. And it seems obvious to me that all of you are in need of help. We can provide that."

Sam nodded, wondering where the catch was. There had to be something. He could feel his concerns spiralling, and he was pulled out only as Roberto walked over grinning. Roberto sat down with them, and Doug mumbled his excuses and left.

"All good?" Roberto asked. 

"Yeah," Sam agreed, because Roberto didn't deserve to have to deal with Sam's confusion. "Can't believe we actually found the X-Men."

***

“Rahne literally fell into them.” Roberto grinned, feeling rather smug that his plan had come to such a positive result. “I don’t think that’s really something we meant to do.”

“Maybe we didn’t mean it, but we did it,” Sam answered, and he was darting weird glances at him, almost like he didn’t want to look at Roberto, which was honestly just kind of weird.

“All okay?” Roberto asked, trying to ignore the fear that was gnawing inside of him like a flame - the idea that the others would be welcomed into the school and he’d be sent away for what he had done. He swallowed, his mouth feeling dry and hot. He’d killed someone, unprovoked and direct, and for the first time he felt some doubt - maybe he wouldn’t get to be the hero here. Maybe he would stay cut off from his savings and be sent away.

That thought frightened him, and worse was the knowledge that if he was sent away, he wouldn’t see his friends again. No more Illyana and her strange flirting and fierce kisses. No more Rahne’s quiet teasing, or Dani’s bossiness. No more Sam.

That last thought made his insides twist up, and he stumbled back a step in case flame flared up across him, but it didn’t. Sam shot him a silent, reassuring smile, and he was glad for that, because it felt manageable when Sam smiled at him.

“So, did you guys get snacks?” he asked hopefully. Sam snorted, but dug the end of a slightly melted candy bar from his bag, splitting the remaining two bits between them. Roberto ate his with a grin, then stared at Sam. “You wearing my shirt, Kentucky?”

“Nah.” Sam grinned back brightly. “I’m wearing my shirt, you gave it to me. ‘S a damn nice shirt.”

“It suits you,” Roberto answered, wondering if Sam was flirting with him. Wearing his shirt, sharing his candy… if Sam had been a girl, Roberto would have known he was flirting. But he didn’t know if Sam was into guys. “Illy’s calmer now. Think she just needed to hit some stuff with her sword.”

“That’s good,” Sam answered awkwardly, looking away. “So uh. She your girlfriend now?”

“Hell no.” Roberto stared at him in shock. “I’m stupid, but I’m not that stupid.”

Sam raised an eyebrow, and Roberto laughed. A moment later Sam laughed as well, his face lighting up in amusement.

“Anyway, Illy isn’t into that stuff.” Roberto shrugged, just as an idea sparked in his mind. He thought of all the times he and Sam had had fun together, the two of them laughing and joking as they did their chores, a team. They fitted together right, and Sam sure did look good in his shirt. “Are you?”

“What do you mean?” Sam asked defensively. A moment later he glanced over towards Rahne and her new weird robot friend. The blond guy was sitting with them, and Sam looked at him and then nodded. “Actually… yeah. I am.”

“Oh.” Roberto stared at him, and then glanced at the ground, and then looked back up. He thought of the nice girls his parents had always encouraged him to date, and the kind he’d always liked. The fact he’d killed the last girl he’d loved, burned her. The way Sam could withstand the heat of an explosion. He licked his lips awkwardly, feeling the saliva bubbling on his skin. “Yeah. Me too.”

Sam nodded and reached out and grabbed his hand firmly. It wasn’t like holding hands with a girl, their fingers entangling. It was Sam grabbing him like he didn’t wanna let go. He could see the fear on Sam’s face as he did it, his concern for what would come next. Roberto squeezed back tight, already working out plans - as soon as he got his money, he could start to get Sam nice stuff. The kind of stuff that Sam deserved. In his heart, he knew Sam wasn’t going to mind. Sam’d liked him back at the institute, when he’d had nothing more than the stuff he’d shoved into his bag.

Roberto guessed his family wouldn’t approve of a guy like Sam. But Sam was the best person he’d met. He paused. “Wanna hang out and do chores some time?”

“Always.” Sam grinned at him so brightly it felt like one of those far off exploding stars, and a warmth bubbled inside of him which felt nothing like flame.

***

Illyana watched the boys finally sort out the mess of what was going on between them - Sam and Roberto stood together, talking, with matching stupid grins on their faces. She looked down at Lockheed. “It’s going to be so boring, Lockheed.”

Lockheed’s eyes sparkled in the sunlight, a silent reminder that she wasn’t on her own, no matter what. In his eyes, she could see something big reflected, and she glanced up as a black jet appeared, hovering above them for a moment before landing near them, completely silent. She gripped Lockheed tighter.

The blond, and the mutant that she’d… mistaken for something else… were walking over towards the jet, and as the door opened he waved, beckoning them closer. Dani approached first, and Rahne trailed after her like the puppy dog she was. The boys followed.

Illyana rolled her eyes and then teleported over there, knowing someone needed to keep them safe. She was ready to draw her sword in a moment if it was needed, Lockheed hiding safely in her back pocket.

A group of people emerged from the jet, and she supposed these must be the X-Men Roberto had said to look for. There was a woman dressed in black, with a shock of white hair that contrasted with her skin, the very air around her seeming to crackle with energy. There was a blue-skinned man with a tail and strange hands, who moved from one place to another, and she stared because she’d never seen another teleporter. There was a man glaring in argument with Doug, and a pilot wearing a visor. There was another man too, tall, with skin that sparkled silver in the light.

She looked at them, suddenly unsure. She didn’t miss the institute, but she was aware she’d miss the regular meals and the relative security it offered. The last man, the silver one, was striding down to greet them, holding out his hands as Doug did the introductions.

She kept staring at the silver man. He felt familiar - not one of the smiling men, she was sure of that, and she’d killed those demons. But something else. She pulled Lockheed from her pocket, letting him get a look at the new man.

She felt like Lockheed was excited, that he knew something but didn’t know how to say it.

The silver man had been talking to Dani, but then he paused and walked towards her. She reached for her sword, the covering starting to form on her arm, but she froze as he stopped in front of her, his skin changing from metal to flesh.

He reached out to grab Lockheed, and she snatched the dragon out of his grasp. “Where.... Where did you get that toy?”

“Lockheed isn’t a toy,” she snapped, and the man kept staring at her, and she didn’t like it - it wasn’t a way she’d been stared at before, and she didn’t know what it meant.

“I’m sorry.” The man held out his hand, and she didn’t shake it. “It just looks a lot like a toy my little sister used to have.”

“She cannot have him. I have looked after him for years,” Illyana muttered defensively, wrapping her arms around Lockheed. She wasn’t going to give him over to this guy’s sister just because she’d lost her toy - it was clear she couldn’t be trusted to look after a toy, let alone Lockheed. She was aware of conversation going on around them, but all her attention was focused on the man and his attention was on her and Lockheed. She was tempted to teleport away. 

“No… You don’t understand.” The man sighed. “My baby sister was kidnapped. Stolen away when we were in the park. She had her toy with her…”

“She is not getting Lockheed,” Illyana repeated.

“I would never take that puppet from you.” The man reached out to touch her hair, and she teleported away - only back a couple of steps. She felt almost hypnotised by him. She didn’t like the way she felt, all confused and lost and helpless. She wasn’t helpless. The man was staring and it felt like he could see through her skin.

“Can I ask you one question?” 

“You just did,” Illyana answered. “But yes. One question, and then you leave me alone while me and my friends work out what to do next.”

Pain flickered in his eyes, but he nodded. “Is your name Illyana?”

Illyana froze, and she was tempted to just teleport away, to get out of there. But she couldn’t abandon her friends. She remembered flashes - she didn’t allow herself to think about before the smiling men. It always made her hurt worse, with pain inside her that she couldn’t understand but…

She made her way to Sam and Roberto. Sam instantly embraced her, fussing over her like the big brother he was, gazing at her. “Is everything alright, Illy? Did that guy hurt you? I’ll fight him.”

“I can fight him. You would get hurt,” she pointed out, and he gave her a lazy grin. 

“I’ll hold Lockheed and you fight?” Sam suggested, and she nodded, and the man was following her over, and she was tempted to run, to hide in their special place, and if it had just been her and Lockheed that was what she would have done. But she wouldn’t leave her friends. The man paused some distance away, and held up his hands. He was young, not much older than the five of them.

Old enough to be trusted to take his little sister to the park, but not old enough to prevent her being kidnapped.

“His name’s Piotr.” Her voice was shaking, but Sam’s hand was on her shoulder, and she knew she wasn’t alone. “He took his sister to the park one day. But the smiling men came, and they stole her…”

Sam hugged her almost too tight, but she clung to him.

“You don’t gotta go nowhere you don’t want to,” Sam murmured, low in her ear. She looked down at Lockheed. Lockheed shared her vague recollections, and Lockheed was always braver than her. He wanted to go with them, to see what happened. She nodded, and made her way towards the jet.

They ended up sitting in a row at the back of the jet. Roberto, then Sam, then her and Lockheed, then Dani, then Rahne. Piotr had gone up to the front to help with flying, and Doug was introducing the rest, but she let the names wash over her. She had Lockheed. She had her friends. The rest would come with time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to everyone who comments, it means a lot, especially in such a small fandom.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, and please do comment, it means so much to me. I will be writing more soon.


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